Angie sticks to her statement

THE Department of Basic Education has refused to withdraw a statement that referred to the NGO Equal Education as a "group of white adults organising black children".

Only three of Equal Education's 20 national council members are white.

The department insisted the statement was not racist.

This week, Equal Education staged a series of marches demanding that Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga publish minimum standards and norms for school infrastructure. The marches followed disclosures, including some in the Sunday Times, of the lack of proper classrooms and toilet facilities at many schools.

A day after the demonstrations, the department issued a statement saying: "It is interesting to note the sudden interest that Equal Education is taking in the education of the African child. Suddenly the NGO knows all about the challenges that African children face against the privileges they have enjoyed."

The department invited the NGO to a meeting to be held today.

According to Equal Education, binding minimum norms and standards would set the basic level of infrastructure that every school must meet to function properly. This would include toilets, running water, electricity, safe classrooms, libraries, sports fields and perimeter security.

In an agreement reached in November last year between the NGO and the department, it was held that the department would promulgate the norms by May 15. This date was extended to June 15 at Motshekga's request. She then requested a further six months' extension to which the NGO did not agree.

Equal Education has demanded that Motshekga retract her "racist" statement and is considering lodging a complaint with the Human Rights Commission or the Equality Court.

A departmental spokesman, Hope Mokgatlhe, said "[The statement] is probably one of the things we are going to have to discuss [at today's meeting].

"They must tell us why they think it's racist and we'll tell them why we think it's not."

She said Motshekga and her deputy, Enver Surty, as well as the MECs of the nine provinces, would attend the meeting.

"They [MECs] want to come because it's close to their hearts," she said, referring to the issue of norms and standards.

"Honestly, we believe they [Equal Education] have got good intentions. They are a stakeholder and we respect them, but this thing of communicating through media statements is just not right," said Mokgatlhe.

"We need to sit down and talk about where we don't agree."

She dismissed suggestions that the department was offering an olive branch.

"We are inviting them, as we have always done, to continue the discussions. It's not like we are accepting any fault on our side."

Equal Education's Doron Isaacs said eight members of the national council would be attending. "We are simply going there to listen and bring back anything that might be proposed for discussion."

The National Professional Teachers Organisation of South Africa has called on Motshekga to withdraw the statement.